A Cure
by floss bucket
Summary: What would have happened if Remus and Tonks hadn't died in the battle of Hogwarts? Set 23 years after the battle. Its a bit AU, but only in the fact that Remus and Tonks are alive.


A Cure

**AN: This story is slightly AU. The only thing I've changed is that Remus and Tonks didn't die, because that was the only bit I didn't like from the seventh book. I might write a sequel to this, or another story in the same universe. So please, read, enjoy (hopefully) and review! (Please) **

Teddy Lupin, metamorphagas, half werewolf and researcher at St Mungo's was visiting his parents for dinner. His younger sister, Sophia, who was 19 and just starting Auror training, was also going to be there. Will and Charlie, the twins, were completing their last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and so could not make the family dinner.

His mother answered the door; her pink hair looking like for as long as she could remember. She didn't look like she was 45 – one of the effects of being a metamorphagas. His father, however, looked much older than his 57 years. Teddy supposed that was to do with being a werewolf. His godfather, Harry, had told him Remus had always had grey hairs, even when he was in his thirties.

His sister had inherited neither of their parent's traits, although she did tend to get bad migraines around the full moon. She had their father's sandy brown hair and amber eyes, but their mother's personality. She was bright, bubbly and very loyal to her friends. Teddy was more like his father; he was calm and quiet, and many people had made the mistake of thinking he was boring. But Teddy Lupin was anything but boring. He had pulled some of the best pranks at Hogwarts since the time of the Weasley twins, maybe since the time of the Marauders. It probably helped that he was not only a metamorphagas, but had Harry's Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Harry had insisted that Teddy take them, and that James could wait a few years. They had been very useful, especially for that prank on Professor McGonagall in 6th year...

Will and Charlie were a mixture of their parents. Charlie was also a metamorphagas; he was a pranking mastermind and the same outgoing tendencies as their mother. Will was a werewolf. He was quiet and reserved, but around people he knew he had a wicked sense of humour. He also had an air about him that made people respect him, no matter whether they liked him or not. Teddy recognised the same thing in his father, and wondered if it was a werewolf thing, or just a trait Will happened to get. His father still hadn't forgiven himself for the fact that Will was a werewolf. Even though Will had told him he didn't blame him, Remus still felt guilty. The Wolfsbane Potion had helped them both, and Teddy hoped that his research at work would help even more.

Dinner that night was steak, a favourite of his father's, especially around the full moon, which had been two nights ago. They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the excellent steak. Remus really was fantastic at cooking steak, but for anything else, Teddy always went to Grandma Weasley. She wasn't really his Grandma, but it felt like it sometimes.

"So, Teddy, how's work going?" Remus asked his son.

"Great, thanks Dad. We made a real breakthrough in our research last week."

"What's the research on again? I've forgotten" asked his father, halfway through his extremely rare piece of steak.

"We found a cure for Lycanthropy" said Teddy quietly. His father's head jerked up and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You what?" He asked, almost shouting from shock.

"Found a cure for being a werewolf. Well, it's really an improvement on the Wolfsbane Potion. You don't transform, just a headache and some sore muscles. And apparently the potion tastes nicer."

Remus took a few deep breaths, blinking slowly. Everything he had hoped for was coming true. He wouldn't have to suffer every full moon. Even with the Wolfsbane Potion, turning into a werewolf still hurt. And maybe, just maybe, the wizarding world would be able to get over its prejudices against him, and his son.

Teddy was explaining some more about the cure. "It's similar to the stem cell stuff the muggles are doing. The potion targets the werewolf gene and paralyses it for a few days, over the full moon. We're going to try and find something to completely kill off the gene, but that will take a while, so-"

He was unable to continue, as his father had just stood up and given him a massive hug. "Thank you" the werewolf said, trying to keep the tears out of his voice. "Thank you, my boy."

* * *

It was the day before the next full moon, and Teddy and Remus Lupin were in the research department of St Mungo's. Remus had requested to be able to test the new cure, and Teddy couldn't refuse. He knew how much this meant to his father. Will was also there; Professor McGonagall had given him permission to be excused from school for a few days. Remus and Will were sitting on separate beds, each surrounded by a blue shield of magic to stop them escaping if they did happen to transform. Teddy didn't like having to lock his father and brother up, but it was necessary. They each had a goblet sitting on their bedside table, full of a smoking liquid. Remus took the first sip, and a look of appreciation crossed his face.

"Chocolate!" he exclaimed.

"I told you it tasted better! And I thought you'd like the chocolate" replied Teddy. Remus smiled at his son, who had a slightly mischievous look on his face, but behind that he couldn't disguise his worry. Remus drained the entire goblet, as did Will. Teddy sat down on a chair between the two beds. He had to do his job and explain the potion to his patients, exactly the same as he would with any other.

"We tested this last full moon, and none of the patients transformed. It isn't a guarantee you won't transform, but I think it's unlikely. If all goes well, you can go to sleep, or we can pass through a book to read. We're still not sure of the effect of the potion on violence, or on a werewolf's bite, so we'll be leaving the barriers up. We'll be testing that later; in carefully controlled conditions" Teddy couldn't hide his nervousness. These weren't just random people he had never met before, this was his family. Remus and Will both smiled at him. He wasn't sure if they were trying to reassure him, or themselves, but he didn't have much time to work it out.

The first ray of moonlight crept through the window. Teddy noticed that his father tensed up his body, ready for the pain, and so did Will. Both of them were surprised when it didn't come, even though that was what they were expecting. Teddy let out his breath, only then realising he'd been holding it. His father rolled onto his side and went straight to sleep. Will, however, beckoned Teddy over for a conversation. Teddy sat down next to his little brother's bed.

"Thanks, Teddy" said Will.

"You're welcome. It's good to be able to finally help you guys, after knowing what you've been through." Will nodded.

"D'you think- D'you think people will stop hating us?" he asked in a quiet voice. Teddy took a few deep breaths before answering. He didn't like lying to his brother, but he didn't want to hurt him either.

"I dunno, Will. I mean, you won't be able to hurt them anymore, and people will probably start to see you're a normal person. But it could take a while. You've heard what Dad's said about how far back people have hated werewolves. But I think this potion might help. And Auntie Hermione's been changing a lot of the werewolf laws. She might be able to change even more because of the potion. But there probably will be a law to force you to take it every full moon."

"Course there will be. It wouldn't make much difference to me, whether there was a law or not. I'd take the potion anyway; it's so much easier like this."

"I don't think you'll have any problem getting a job now, especially at the Ministry. Kingsley will fire anyone who tries to reject you 'cause you're a werewolf. But if they reject you 'cause you insult them too much, don't come crying to me!"

Will laughed. He had a habit of making slightly insulting jokes about everyone, especially his teachers. "I feel sorry for Dad, though. What he went through must have been pretty awful. I mean, being a werewolf's bad enough, but he had to put up with so much more crap, and then the war... That must have been terrible."

Teddy nodded in agreement. "But I think the worst part for him was after Voldemort was gone the first time. Harry told me about how two of Dad's friends were dead, one was locked up in Azkaban and the other had chosen to spend his life as a rat. He was alone."

"Yeah, that would have been horrible." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Will spoke again.

"Could you pass me my bag? I've got some Defence homework I need to do." Teddy picked up the bag and found the homework.

"'Give a description of the life of a werewolf and the werewolf laws and present and justify an opinion as to whether these laws are fair. Three feet'" read Teddy. "Well, that should be a pretty easy one for you. I think there's a copy of the laws in the office if you want a look."

"I don't think I'm going to need any books or anything for this one. But Professor Taylor wants at least three references to be used. I suppose I'm just going to have to find a few books that agree with me. I can't exactly put 'My Life' as a reference, can I?"

Teddy smiled. His brother always managed to see the funny side of everything. He watched as Will settled himself down in the bed. He positioned himself in a comfy armchair in the corner of the ward and listened to the scratching of his brother's quill.

'I'm glad I can help them, they both deserve so much better than what they have,' was his last thought before falling asleep.

**AN: I hope you liked it. I did. I also like reviews. (hint hint little purplish button!)**


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